If you're used to running into your local 7-Eleven for Big Gulps and Snickers bars, you may need to look elsewhere. The New York Times reports the chain has added fresh, healthier fare to its more than 8,000 U.S. locations.

Efforts to bring healthier food to our nation's schools have been kicked up a notch with the USDA's recent announcement of more than $4.5 million in grant money that will bring fresh foods from local farms to school cafeterias across the country.

Take it with a grain of hand-harvested crystallized pink Himalayan sea salt, but Whole Foods Market—the iconic gourmet natural and organic grocery chain—is reporting that more Americans than ever are opting for natural and organic foods.

Fast-food chains continue to launch "healthy" menu items to appease growing concerns about obesity and diet-related illnesses plaguing our nation. Former McDonald's global president is aiming to change that with the expansion of his fast-casual restaurant chain, Lyfe Kitchen.

Last week, the Walt Disney Company made a major announcement that the park would be implementing strict guidelines regarding the promotion of junk foods throughout the organization's many channels along with major changes to menu items sold in its theme parks to help combat the nation's rising obesity problems.

The USDA recently released an agency-conducted study comparing the costs of healthy food versus processed junk foods high in fat, sugar and salt, and found that despite the myth that healthy foods typically cost more, they actually do not.

In an effort to connect its customers with healthier food options, Wal-Mart—the world's largest retailer—is preparing for a Spring launch of a signature icon that will appear on its private label products and in the produce sections throughout the chain's stores.

Washington D.C. area neighborhoods considered "food deserts" will soon have access to fresh fruits and vegetables via a converted school bus "Mobile Market" courtesy of a local non-profit group comprised of nine restaurants. The Neighborhood Restaurant Group's market on wheels will bring healthy food options to communities where a majority of the people living there are at or below the poverty line.

Californians may have just spotted a gem amidst the rubble of America's crumbling economy: The California FreshWorks Fund is a $200 million public-private partnership aimed at increasing healthy and affordable food for the state's most challenged communities.

Findings by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego revealed a startling discovery: nearly 10 percent of small fish sampled from the Pacific Ocean contained partially digested plastic.